Self learned of the nomination a month ago, but she was in the midst of returning from Ireland and then setting off for southern California and then setting off for the Squaw Valley Writers Conference.

Nevertheless, here she is now, expressing her appreciation!

Self blogs a lot while traveling. Because she firmly believes that one of the greatest pleasures of travel is being able to share one’s experiences afterwards. It’s like re-living the moment, only better because you know you’ve survived the whatever.

So, THANKS THANKS MUCH to the blog Unexpected Wanderlust for the nomination. Self deeply appreciates the honor.

And here are self’s answers to the questions posed by UW:

What is the most foolish thing you’ve ever done while traveling?

Wow. This entailed so much reflection because self has done many, many foolish things while traveling. Two years ago, she decided to join her friends on a bike ride around one of Amsterdam’s outlying islands, even though she hadn’t ridden a bike in almost 20 years. That day almost killed her. What’s worse, it made her lose her temper. And we all know that when one is traveling, losing one’s temper is almost the kiss of death. Because one should never, ever lose one’s temper in a foreign country. Self’s just saying.

Who is the person you’ve met while traveling that you wish you could see again?

Another hard one. OK, this: the two German girls who accompanied self on the bus ride from the Marco Polo airport in Venice, all the way to the vaporetto in the Rialto. Self bumped into them again outside the Frari church in Ca’ San Toma. We had dinner. Self lost the little notebook where she’d written down the girls’ addresses and e-mails. She’s pretty sure she’ll never hear from them again. But she thinks of them pretty often.

Where are you planning on traveling next?

Southern California.

If you had to settle down in one place and never leave it again, where would it be?

Oh gosh, why are all of these questions so hard? San Luis Obispo, California. Cambridge, United Kingdom. Now if self could only find a way to support herself while living in these places . . .

How would you describe the perfect travel companion?

No question: Son. He was great. Always. Even when self was dragging him through the back alleys of Boracay in a pouring rain, and visibility was just a little above zero, and the water was sloshing up to our knees, and strange unmentionable objects were floating in said water. He did express disgust (occasionally), but he never once lost his temper.

If you could be fluent in a language other than your mother tongue, which would it be?

Cantonese so that self could bargain in the Hong Kong night markets. Gaelic because she was just in Ireland. Spanish because she could read all the archives pertaining to Spain’s colonization of the Philippines.

What is your best travel tip?

Always travel light. Plan on picking up things you’ll need along the way. And never tote around more than two books at a time.

Have you ever felt more at home in a place that is away from your actual home? If so, where?

Yes: Bacolod City, Negros Occidental (Dear Departed Dad’s hometown)

Where have you had the best meal of your life?

The home of Irene Lacson and Zia Islam in Glendale, CA: a Villanueva reunion in December 2012

Tender Greens, Spectrum Centre, Irvine, CA.

Van’s, Belmont, CA last January, to celebrate The Man’s birthday

What is the one piece of technology that you can’t live without during your travels?

They promoted Type O Negative, Joel Tan’s poetry collection, by handing out these chocolate candy bars at the AWP Book Fair, several years ago.

candy bar wrapper (designed after the cover of Joel Tan’s new poetry collection!)

Containers # 2 is a fresh coconut:

In the Philippines, there are roadside stands selling fresh coconuts with straws so you can sip the juice. Self took this picture on a beach in Sum-ag, just outside Bacolod City.

In January 2012, self went to India for the first time. She flew from San Francisco to New Delhi, and spent the next two weeks traversing Himachal Pradesh. She made it to Dharamsala. It was freezing cold. These hot braziers were brought into the dining room of the Colonel’s Resort in the village of Bir.

It was so cold, self’s last two days in Bir, that the Colonel had a fire brought in.

From now on, or just for the next year anyway, she will read only books by LIVING writers.

Well, that helped. Self got rid of perhaps 1/3 of the books on her list.

She’s still reading Sebastian Barry’s The Secret Scripture.

She decides to look up interviews he’s given, and comes up with a gem on a site called “Words With Writers.”

Who do you picture as the ideal reader of your work?

All of us inevitably become experienced in the world, by the mere process of living in it; but my ideal reader perhaps can put aside the cargo of experience somewhat, and access also their original innocence, so that sense is also brought to the book in their lap.

Is there a quote about writing that inspires you?

I very much like the anonymous but astute definition that “a novel is a long piece of prose with something wrong with it.”